Focus falls on finding harness racing 'solutions'

The chairman of Racing Queensland says there is no easy fix for the future of harness racing on the Gold Coast.

The sport will need to move from its Parklands home to make way for the 2018 Commonwealth Games' athletes' village.

Kevin Dixon says he is confident a solution can be found.

"Harness racing on the Gold Coast is important as it is to south-east Queensland and we are focused on finding some solutions," he said.

"Unfortunately I don't think there's an easy fix to it and there's certainly not a short-term one, so we'll have to develop some strategies that are for the interim as well as for the long-term but as long as we're focused on solving the problem I'm fairly confident we'll get there."

Meanwhile, Mr Dixon says the Gold Coast could fill a greater support role for Brisbane racing in the future.

Work will start soon on the first stage of an upgrade of the Bundall racecourse.

Mr Dixon says the complete redevelopment project is likely to take about three years.

He says the two Brisbane tracks race 52 weekends a year and the Gold Coast could eventually take away some of that pressure.

"They identify areas and times of the year where it would be appropriate for them not to be racing," he said.

"Fortunately when you've got a major CBD hub like Brisbane and you've got a major tourist destination like the Gold Coast, the times when they don't want to and the times when the Gold Coast does want to, fit very nicely together."